The
Grace To Be Wrong
By Pastor Jack
Hayford
I am becoming increasingly sensitive to the need for grace in believers
which will allow them to be wrong.
Not to do
wrong. But to be wrong.
There are far
too few who simply acknowledge their own humanity when their own
doings, calling, efforts, or sincere goals are called into question.
This past week
I encountered three occasions where this grace was needed: at a
gathering of men who were consulting together over a specific ministry
to the Body of Christ; in a conversation over the radio, in which
I was being interviewed on the subject of the believer and his willingness
to acknowledge his failures; and in a private counseling session
in which we discovered a man’s preoccupation with his sense of God-given
mission, to the point that he couldn’t see the need for balance.
He was too taken with his sense of the importance of what
he felt he was supposed to do.
Somehow, “being
right” isn’t as easy as one thinks. Our own sense of dimension on
a matter is the key to balance, and the fact is that when something
seems important or necessary to me, it tends to become ALL
important... ABSOLUTELY necessary. And the time for the answer to
this important/necessary matter is always NOW! Especially if God
and His will are involved in the matter.
Thankfully,
I am discovering a small but growing band of folks who are willing
to trust the Lord to cover their imperfections—whether it be in
timing, in understanding, or in sense of urgency. They are gaining
the capacity to be wrong in their perspective, as right as
they might be in their purpose.
I find that
grace was powerfully present in the early Church. I hear the apostles
and elders at Jerusalem say, concerning a decision that would reshape
the Church’s future, “It seemed good…” (Acts 15:28). Before they
invoke the ultimate of divine authority, they simply says, “We thought
a lot about it. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” History
confirms the decision they made, but I am most impressed by the
non-authoritarian air with which the judgment was communicated.
Paul says twice
in 1 Corinthians 7 that his counsel is offered “as a concession,
not as a commandment” (v. 6); and that his directives concerning
marriage and the single life were “according to [his] judgment”
(v. 40). He does affirm that he believed himself to have the mind
of the Holy Spirit on the subject, but again, the authority is exercised
with wisdom. There is an apparent willingness to hearing others
out on the subject.
I love Peter’s
capacity to not know as much as another brother, and still to love
and trust that brother’s words toward him. Second Peter 3:15,16
manifests a readiness to receive the gift of another’s wisdom
and expertise, without denying or having to hurriedly insist that
you have received much already yourself.
Somehow, you
and I experience a painful reluctance to utter the words, “I don’t
know.” Or, “I may not be entirely right.” Or, “I need your balancing
counsel on this, my friend.” It’s hard for us to say these things
and mean them with a truly teachable spirit.
Some matters,
of course, are not negotiable. But my personal inclinations, however
“sure” I might feel about them, must be kept available to modification
within the circle of those who love me in Christ.
Such vulnerability
is the only safety valve against the recurrent problems which “rugged
individualism” has wrought in personal and family lives, in business
and government matters, and in the Church of the Lord Jesus throughout
history.
Let’s keep
hands joined in trust. Mine and yours may not be perfectly clean,
but keeping hold will sure help us keep our balance.
|
Jack
Hayford Ministries
14800 Sherman Way, Van Nuys, CA 91405-2233